REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 87 
THE GREEN TURTLE. 
A comparatively few years ago green turtles were abundant on the 
coast of Florida, and their capture gave employment for a part of the 
year to a considerable number of fishermen. They were shipped to 
the northern markets in considerable numbers, and their flesh and 
eggs were common articles of diet on both the east and west coasts of 
the State. So persistently were they sought, however, and so reck- 
lessly were their nests on the beaches robbed of the eggs, that the 
species is now seen but rarely, and the fishery has ceased to exist. 
The green turtles now put on the markets come mainly from the coast 
of Mexico and Central America, and the price has risen until turtle 
meat is regarded as more or less of a luxury, even in places where it 
was formerly abundant. The demand for small turtles has always 
been greater than the supply, and they command a proportionately 
higher price than the larger sizes. The market for them could be 
greatly enlarged if it were possible to procure them, and it is the 
opinion of the Bureau that this demand may be met by employing 
some method of turtle culture. Toward the end of the fiscal year 
experiments were begun, under the direction of Dr. H. F. Moore, 
with a view to developing a practical method of raising turtles from 
the egg. A considerable number of eggs have been obtained, and are 
now undergoing incubation. When hatched the young will be placed 
in a suitable inclosure and experiments will be made to determine the 
most suitable food and the best manner of rearing them. Later an 
attempt will be made to breed the turtles in captivity. 
ALASKA SALMON INVESTIGATIONS. 
At the close of the preceding fiscal year, as stated in the last annual 
report of the Bureau, a special commission had been appointed by 
order of the President to study and report upon the condition and 
needs of the Alaska salmon fisheries, and, under the direction of Dr. 
David 8. Jordan, of Stanford University, had reached southeast 
Alaska and was just entering upon its duties in July, 1903. Shore 
parties were established at Loring, in southeast Alaska, at Karluk, on 
Kadiak Island, and at Nushagak, in the Bristol Bay region, these 
being considered three of the most important fishing centers and 
affording opportunity for investigation, throughout the season, of the 
local conditions and the fisheries there carried on. The habits of the 
various species of salmon and the problems of their culture in those 
regions were also studied. Practically all of the salmon canneries, 
-salteries, and fisheries in southeast Alaska, also those at Yakutat Bay, 
Kadiak Island, Chignik Bay, and Bristol Bay were visited by the 
commission, and their methods investigated. Interviews and confer- 
ences, also, were held with the officials of many of the canning com- 
panies, and with various persons interested in the different phases of 
